The caucus reported Thursday that Derrick Tibbs, who previously worked for Rep. Karen Camper, D-Memphis, now the new House minority leader, had siphoned money from its account over a three-year period by writing checks without the knowledge of caucus leadership.

Tibbs, who began working at the legislature in 2009, resigned in December after being confronted by caucus leadership regarding missing funds.

He worked for Camper while she was caucus treasurer and received a stipend in addition to his state salary for caucus bookkeeping.

Democratic caucus pursuing civil case

According to Camper, the caucus is pursuing a civil case against Tibbs. If the money isn't paid back in the next 11 months, the caucus may refer the case to law enforcement for criminal prosecution, Camper said.

“As the Democratic leader, I am sorry that this happened and I am grateful to my members for their patience as we waited for the audit to be completed," Camper said Thursday in a statement. "Once we became aware of the amount of money that was taken, and the length of time that this theft occurred, we moved swiftly to remedy the situation.”

A felony theft of $12,500 can result in a sentence of three to 15 years in prison in Tennessee.